A Moment in Time
by DragoonKain07
Summary: With war no longer a concern, Edge and Rydia's lives settle into simple routines. However, 'simple' does not always mean 'happy.' Edge/Rydia with a strong Cuore focus. Lots of fluff, lots of Cuore interaction.
1. Envelopes Abound!

Author: DragoonKain07

_Disclaimer: I don't own any Final Fantasy or the characters within. They are properties of Square Enix. But please enjoy my fanfiction despite me not owning the characters :)._

**Chapter One: Envelopes Abound!**

"No really, I'm okay. I promise!"

Rydia was starting to grow frustrated. Ever since enrolling Cuore in Mist's grade school, she had tried to make friends with some of the other moms with children around Cuore's age. However, when she had envisioned conversation with her new friends at Mist's cafe, she hadn't expected this...

"Are you sure? My brother is super-nice, and it would be good for Cuore and you to not have all the parenting stress thrown on your shoulders, especially with you having responsibilities of the village's High Summoner as well!"

"I don't mind it; Cuore's a lot to handle, but I enjoy spending time with her! Speaking of which, I promised her I'd be home soon; I'll see you next week!"

"Okay...just promise me you'll think about it, okay?"

Rydia gave a curt nod to escape the situation and hurried out of the cafe. She sighed as she walked home; she had made friends with the moms specifically to _avoid_ being hit on! If she couldn't escape it around them, she didn't know what she could do. It hadn't been too horrible when Mist was in the process of being rebuilt, but now that the town had been rebuilt and in the process of repopulation, she was dealing with the unwanted attention from guys more and more often. Plus, the villagers, many of whom were residents of Mist before the war, wanted their High Summoner to find a spouse now that the war was over, so that the Summoner line would continue. They were stressing her out much more than Cuore ever could. Speaking of which...

"You're late." Rydia had just arrived home to see Cuore standing just outside the front door, arms crossed. Cuore gave her a glare.

"What do you mean? I said I'd be home at 6:30..."

"It's 6:32." Cuore continued to glare.

"Cuore..." Rydia dropped her shoulders, knowing Cuore would hold her ground. "Alright, you're right, and I'm sorry. Can I make it up to you by adding 2 minutes to your bedtime tonight?"

"...maybe." Cuore held out two envelopes to Rydia. "We got mail today, and one is from Eblan; do you think he is coming to visit?"

Rydia pulled the envelopes from Cuore's hand apprehensively. She didn't want to get Cuore's hopes up prematurely. "I don't know Cuore; let me read the letter first, okay? I'll let you know tomorrow what's going on. But first, I need to make you dinner."

"Fine." Cuore stormed off back into the house, leaving Rydia dreading how the rest of the night would be. And all over two minutes...

* * *

Cuore snuck down the stairs quietly. She had played mad the whole night in order to try to distract her mom, and she was hoping to be able to sneak in and finally find out where her mom stored the letters she got from him. _Sneaking just like him._ She smirked as she pushed the ground floor door open ever so slightly, and she began to peer through the door crack.

In their dining room, she saw her mom laying her head upon their table. She began to worry that she had tired her mom out; if that happened, the whole day of planning would have been for nothing. But a quick rustle from Rydia brought Cuore back to concentration mode, as she saw her pick up the two letters from the table and start shuffling them between her hands, deciding between the two of them. She finally set aside the one from Cuore's school - Cuore cheered a silent cheer - and picked up the letter from Eblan, cutting it open with their decorative letter opener. Cuore loved that knife; Edge had given them it a few years back when Rydia had expressed interest in it, and it was one of the few things they had that reminded Cuore of him.

Her attention shifted back to her mom as she began to read the note. Cuore saw her face shift from one of exhaustion to a tired smile as she read the letter. She even laughed a few times - something Cuore hadn't seen her mom do in a long time. But then it had almost been two months since he had visited, with no contact outside this letter since, and Cuore noticed her mom would always grow more tired when he left for long periods of time. She started to wonder why...but then she saw her mom place the letter back in the envelope and stand up. Cuore snapped into focus; this was the moment she had been waiting for! Cuore's excitement quickly faded, though, as she realized her mom was moving outside the range of view of the door crack. She hadn't anticipated this dilemma, but she tried to accomodate to it, pushing the door further and further open. Suddenly, the door gave way, and she fell forward flat on her face. Lifting her head, she saw her mom's boots immediately in front of her.

"Yes, Cuore?" Cuore looked up to see her mom standing over her, waiting patiently with a bemused look on her face. The letter was still in her hands, much to Cuore's dismay.

"I was...umm..." Cuore was getting nervous; she had gotten in trouble at school many times, but she had never done anything bad at home, and she was having a hard time meeting her mother's eyes. "...never mind. I'm sorry! Please don't be mad at me! I'll go right to bed!" Cuore immediately turned around and ran up the stairs.

"Cuo-" Rydia was left gazing up the stairs, looking defeated.

* * *

Cuore walked into the kitchen the next morning with a purpose. She had outwaited Rydia's attempts to wake her up on a Sunday morning in order to wake to an empty house, as she was determined to make up the previous night to her mom. While she still didn't know where his letters were, she remembered how the outside of the envelope had looked. She gathered some paper and an envelope to the table and began to write.

* * *

"Sir!"

Edge did not need to turn to recognize the man's voice and step. "Not now, Tsukinowa, I'm late for a meeting organizing next week's memorial."

"I know, sir, but you asked me to inform you immediately of any letters from Mist-" His speech was immediately cut off by Edge turning suddenly and grabbing the letters from his hands.

"Tell the board they can make decisions without me."

"As you wish, sir!" Tsukinowa strode off down the hallway, as Edge headed back towards his bedroom. He sifted through the letters, until he came to the one from Mist. He paused in his tracks as he saw the writing on the envelope: on the top left it merely said "Cuore, Mist" and in the center, "Edge, Eblan" in a child's handwriting. He thought for a moment in the hallway, then decided to continue towards his bedroom. He didn't know why Cuore would be writing him, but he cared as much for her as he did for her mom, so he decided he would treat her letters the same.

Finally reaching his bedroom, he sat down at his desk, propped up his legs on his desk, and tore open the side of the envelope, making sure to leave Cuore's handwriting intact on the front. He began to read:

_Hey, this is Cuore._

He smiled. Did she think he wouldn't notice the return address on the envelope?

_Thank you for the letter. I don't know what's in it, but Mom smiled from it. Please come visit. It's been a long time, and Mom's getting sad. It's okay if you don't like hanging out with me and don't want to be my Dad, but please make Mom smile more._

_Cuore_

Edge's smile had disappeared, and he felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Is that really what Cuore thought of the situation? And what did she mean about Rydia? She had seemed fine when he had visited about six weeks prior. He didn't know what he could do, but...he certainly couldn't ignore the letter. He stood up sharply and ran to the castle's training room, slipping in silently on one of the archery lessons Izayoi gave to the Eblan youth. She looked up and they exchanged glances.

"Okay guys, let's take a short break. We'll meet back here in five minutes, okay?" The kids broke off into groups, with some sitting down to talk and others continuing to practice their aim. Izayoi walked over to Edge, who gestured towards the kids.

"They're getting accurate; you're doing a really good job Izayoi. Maybe one day they'll be strong enough to form an archery unit in our military."

"Yeah. Eblan's finally getting back on track; it'll good to see her thriving like she was before the Great War." She paused for a second in thought, then continued. "But I'm sure you didn't come here just to check up on the kids."

Edge gave her a disconcerting frown. "I need to leave immediately. As usual, I'm leaving you in charge of the rebuilding effort while I'm gone. If anything happens, you know the drill."

She studied him. "Rydia?"

"...sort of. But I don't really know. I'll get back to you when I return. I'll be back soon, definitely in time for the memorial next weekend. Can you deal with Seneschal and the memorial board for me?"

"Of course. Do whatever you need to do." Edge turned to leave. "Oh, and Edge?" He stopped in the doorway. "If you want her, let her know. Just saying. I know it's been twenty years, but...everything has a window, no matter how long." He bowed his head for a few seconds, then took off down the hallway. Izayoi shook her head and turned back towards the young teenagers.

"Alright, break's over! Let's get back to business!"

* * *

_Author's Note: I'm at writer's block with my other story, though I'm still working on it. In the meantime, I wanted to work on a little fluff story with Edge/Rydia. Hopefully you guys like it, and feel free to R&R if you'd like! :)_

~ DK


	2. No Fury Like a Mother Scorned

_Author: DragoonKain07_

**Chapter 2: No Fury Like a Mother Scorned**

"You will stay out here, young lady, until you understand what you did wrong. You can come back in when you are ready to apologize or tomorrow morning if you choose not to. Either way, we will be having a chat with your mother again this afternoon. Do you understand me?"

Cuore crossed her arms across her chest. She had been dragged out of school by one of the teacher's assistants, who was now staring her down. "I understand every language; why would you ask if I understood you or not?"

The assistant, taken aback by the starkness of the response, was stunned for a few seconds before throwing her hands in the air. "I give up! I can't get anything through to you. Just remember what I said; you are not to come back into this classroom unless you apologize."

"But-" The school door crashed shut as the assistant disappeared into the building. She finished her response quietly. "-I answered your question..." She looked around at the area surrounding the school, and decided to sit down by a tree stump right next to the entrance. She wanted to explore the village, since she wasn't allowed to return to school anyway, but last time she had been asked to sit outside, she had wandered off, and it had made her mom mad at her. It was the only time she had ever heard her mom raise her voice at her, and she did not want to repeat that experience. Other people, on the other hand though...

She sighed. Other people raised their voices a lot with her. She couldn't make friends with the kids, because they made fun of her magic and called her names. And the adults always got mad with her for every little thing she did, even though she was sure she did everything right. She didn't understand why no one accepted her. Well, except her mom. _And him._ The thought sparked into her mind, but she quickly banished it. He accepted her, but she knew she was just a burden on him. He didn't need her. He probably had other kids in Eblan that were more fun to hang out with. He probably just felt obligated to hang out with her when he visited. He probably thought of her like everyone else did. She began to cry: small tears appeared at first, but soon torrents quickly flowed down her cheeks. She covered her face in her hands, and she was so distracted that she didn't notice someone approaching her until she was swept off the ground by two arms wrapped around her waist. She responded by issuing strong electrical shocks from her body, but the arms simply grasped her tighter.

"Cuore, stop! It's me." A look of recognition shot across her face at the hushed voice, and she stopped electrocuting him, but she continued to struggle violently until he let her go. She turned around to see Edge, who was nursing the electrical burns that covered his face and arms. He was looking at her with a concerned expression.

"What do _you_ want?" She looked to the side, finding a good spot in the dirt to fixate her eyes on so she could avoid his gaze and the injuries she caused him.

"...you did ask me to stop by, remember? I rushed here as soon as I got your letter. I came to see you; what's wrong?"

She turned her back to him. "You came to see Mom."

He walked around her and knelt in front of her so that their eyes were at the same level. She stubbornly continued to look away. "I came here to see _both_ of you. Now will you please tell me what's wrong? I thought you were supposed to be in class right now, and here I come across you crying outside your school. Clearly something happened Cuore. What can I do?"

"Nothing." She spoke at an almost inaudible volume. "You can do nothing. Now go away." She moved her gaze directly down towards her feet.

"No." He spoke firmly, but spoke with a tenderness that reminded her of the way her mom treated her. Remembering her previous thoughts, she started to cry again. She felt his arms envelop her again and pull her into his shoulder, but this time she didn't resist, crying out her emotions into him. She felt his jaw rest on the top of her head, and after a short time letting her cry, he began to speak softly to her.

"Listen, you said in your letter that you wanted me to be your Dad, right?" Her eyes shot open, but she didn't respond. "If you want me to be your Dad, you need to let me be your Dad. Don't push me away, Cuore."

She backed off him and rubbed her eyes, sniffling. She looked directly at his face, and she saw him looking at her in worry. She had only seen her Mom ever look at her like that, a look that used to be a common occurrence in the days when she used to cry every night. "You...you want to be my Dad?"

"Yes." He didn't hesitate to answer. A brief period of silence then enveloped the two of them, as they both studied each other.

"...okay." She nodded at him and sat down against the tree stump again. "...want to sit with me?"

"Sure." He sat down next to her and looked down towards her. "But you still haven't answered my question about what you're doing out here crying."

She sat pondering, then responded. "I got thrown out again." She hoped this would answer his question without her having to reveal her thoughts about him.

"Thrown out? For what?"

"For correcting someone." She spoke matter-of-factly and looked up at him only to see a raised eyebrow. She sighed heavily and elaborated. "The teacher asked us if anyone could name the four Kingdoms that hold Crystals, and one of the kids answered Mysidia, Damcyan, Fabul, and Troia, which is _obviously_ wrong."

"Cuore...those _are_ the four Kingdoms that hold Crystals."

She huffed in exasperation at him. "No, you don't get it; it was a trick question! There are _five_ Kingdoms that have Crystals! You should know this; you've been to the Dwarven Kingdom with Mom!" She gave him a look. "Anyway, the teacher told him he was correct, so I chimed in saying that it was obvious he wasn't, and I pointed out her trick question. In response, I got pulled out here by one of the assistants and yelled at. It's not fair." She crossed her arms again.

"...you're right." She looked up at him sharply. "But, you know, your teacher may have misinterpreted what you were saying."

"That's not possible. I said it very clearly, exactly like I said it to you."

"Yes, I know, Cuore. But she may have thought you were making fun of them."

"Making fun of them...?" Her mind flashed to memories of the other kids' taunts towards her, and she spun her whole body towards Edge. "I wasn't! I promise!"

He smiled back at her. "I know you weren't Cuore; that's why I said she _misinterpreted_ you. I know you were just telling the truth."

Her face became tense. "I'm sorry; I'll go apologize right now!" She got up and ran into the building quickly. Edge looked after her, shaking his head, then got up slowly. He winced; the pain from the burns shot across his skin. If she was this strong as a ten year-old, how strong would she be as an adult? He headed off towards the center of the village to find a potion shop.

* * *

"That's it for today. Make sure to wait outside around one of the assistants for your parents!" Cuore's teacher put her materials away, before turning to the green-haired girl attempting to slip out with the masses. "Young lady, did you forget about the talk we need to have with your mother?"

Cuore stopped and turned around reluctantly. "I don't want to."

Her teacher narrowed her eyes at her. "I know you don't, but we have to do it anyway, okay?"

Cuore eyed her back, before sitting back down at her desk. "Hmph!" She laid her head down and pretended to fall asleep to avoid any more conversation. At least she knew her mom wouldn't be late; she never was. And sure enough...

"Cuore?" Cuore shot her head up to see her mom slip her head in the classroom in search for her. She got excited and ran to her. Rydia smiled back at her. "Hey, get your stuff and let's head back, okay?"

"Actually-" Her teacher interrupted before Cuore could attempt to make a dash out at Rydia's comments. "-I need to have a word with you about your daughter again." Rydia looked down at Cuore, who looked away, frowning. "It seems she's taken up mocking again."

At this comment, Cuore tightened her grip on Rydia. "I did not! I-" Rydia had rested a hand on her head, which she knew meant that she didn't want her talking. She decided to bury her head in Rydia's side instead.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it; you know Cuore isn't like that."

"You know, sometimes I wonder." Rydia glared. "Well, I'm sorry, but I do. And even if you are right that your daughter is some darling princess who just happens to be rude to people without meaning it, she's still disruptive, and I'm about at my wit's end. I cannot tolerate her behavior anymore; it's mean and-"

"I am not mean!" Cuore broke away from Rydia and yelled out.

"Cuore!" Rydia gave her a stern look, but it was too late. The girl was too riled up.

"No! I am not mean! Take it back!"

Her outburst earned her an angry look from her teacher, whose volume also escalated. "I will not, young lady, and you will quiet down this instant."

"No! Take it back! You're the mean one!"

*smack*

There was a moment of silence that filled the room as Cuore, now on the ground, clutched her left cheek. Rydia's hands glowed with energy and a dark expression built on her face as Cuore began to cry. "How dare you..."

Suddenly realizing what was about to happen, Cuore's teacher started to back away, eyeing the summoner carefully. "I'm just giving her discipline. You know, punishment when she's bad? Maybe she wouldn't be this bad if you actually parented her for once?" Her response was interrupted by sparks flying from Rydia's hands, leading her to seek refuge behind her desk. "I..I'll get the police Rydia! Don't make things any worse!"

"And tell them what? You hit my daughter? I'm sure that would go over with them quiiiiiite well. Apologize to her, _now._"

"I didn't _hit_ her, I slapped her. And I will not; she deserved it!"

"I did not! Dad said I didn't do anything wrong!" Cuore had stood back up, still nursing the red mark on her cheek. Her outburst caused Rydia to look back at her in shock, and her teacher eyed her around the desk. Cuore gave a quick glance at Rydia, before setting her eyes determinedly on her teacher. "_You're_ the mean one." Taking the comment as a sign of victory, she stormed out of the room. Rydia quickly followed, a voice calling from behind her.

"She is not to return to this school again; do you understand me?" Rydia glared back and began charging up energy again, causing the woman to hide back behind her desk. Rydia, satisfied, chased after her daughter, finally catching up to her about halfway home.

"Cuore, hold up. Cuore!" She picked the girl up as she stopped at her voice, wrapping her up in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Mom...I screwed up again, didn't I?" Rydia felt the teardrops falling onto her hands.

"No, no. You're okay, everything's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. She had no right to hurt you like that. You were being good." She felt the little girl slowly relax in her arms, and she kissed the top of her head. "Let's get you home, and I'll make you something, okay? How about ice cream?"

"But you always talk to Mist after I get home..."

"That can wait, okay? Does this sound good?" The girl hesitated, then nodded. Rydia let go of Cuore and held her hand, leading her towards the house. "Good. Now what flavor do you want?"

* * *

Rydia eyed Cuore out of the corner of her eye as the girl sat, finishing her snack. It had been about a half hour since they had gotten home, and, after putting some healing lotion on Cuore's cheek, she had scooped her some ice cream and given her space. Already, Cuore was smiling, and Rydia sighed out of relief. She didn't know how Cuore would handle something like this, but Cuore seemed to have a remarkable recovery time, although the same could certainly not be said about herself. Cuore caught her eye and gestured.

"Mom, you should have some with me!" Rydia smiled back at her, attempting to shield Cuore from the stress she felt.

"Maybe I will." She scooped herself a single serving, and sat down beside Cuore, thinking about the girl's comments at the school. She decided against bringing the topic up so soon though, and so they sat in silence for a bit, studying each other as they ate. Cuore's expression turned suspicious.

"You haven't asked me about Dad yet."

Rydia coughed and felt her cheeks start to burn. She had forgotten how well Cuore could read people. "I was waiting for you, silly. Is he here?" She tried to respond innocently, but internally, she was apprehensive; she didn't know what to think of the situation. Since when had Cuore called anyone Dad? Although she was fairly certain she knew who Cuore meant...

A big smile erupted on Cuore's face. "Yep! Can we go see him?"

"Cuore, you know I still have errands I have to do today. But I'm sure we'll see him by the end of tonight, okay?"

"Aww..._fine..._" Cuore let out an overdramatic huff and stood up from her chair. "I'll be upstairs practicing my magic. Tell him I'm here if you see him; I don't want him to forget to stop by!" She disappeared through the door to the stairwell, and Rydia rolled her eyes as she picked up the bowls and cleaned them, preparing to head out.

"Like he'd ever forget to stop by..." She paused, mid-scrub, as her mind suddenly was inundated with questions. What was he doing here anyway? His letter didn't mention him dropping by. Should she tell him what happened with Cuore? How would he take it? She sighed and finished scrubbing the bowls. If she didn't seek him out now, it'd be on her mind the whole day. Putting the bowls away, she decided to find him first, then finish her errands afterwards. She didn't need any more worry after the day Cuore had had, and, although she would never admit it, she valued his advice anyway. She left the house and closed the front door behind her. As she turned the key in the lock, she let out a tired laugh. As soon as she had closed the door, she had sensed a familiar presence shift near her, and she muttered under her breath. "Well, at least that part was easy..."

"Edge, you can get down from the roof. I need to talk to you."

* * *

_Author's Note: This was actually a fairly emotional chapter for me to write. I've always considered Cuore to basically be this brilliant girl who just can't understand subtext and who is very exact about everything she says, and so I was trying to adequately represent what her experience would be like in a small village like Mist where people might be unwilling or unable to accept people with personalities they weren't used to. Hopefully I did a good job, but definitely R&R if you have any suggestions, whether light or strong. I can always use more advice! :)_

~ DK


	3. Twenty Years Too Late

_Author: DragoonKain07_

**Chapter 3: Twenty Years Too Late**

"Edge, you can get down from the roof. I need to talk to you."

Rydia heard a slight skidding noise as Edge slid down and landed next to her. She turned to face him and stood stunned at his charred appearance, before cupping her face in her hand.

"Do I want to know what happened?"

"What happened is that Mist apparently doesn't have a healer or a potion store." Rydia laid a death glare into him. "Okay, bad day, got it. I hugged Cuore earlier when she was upset, and she didn't realize it was me. It was my own fault for taking her by surprise."

Rydia sighed. "Come in then, I guess. I already have the lotion Rosa gave me out. It should heal your burns too. Don't let Cuore hear you though; I still need to talk to you, and she won't want to stay upstairs if she knows you're here." Rydia turned around in place, turned the key that was still in its lock, and opened the front door. She gestured towards the table inside. "Sit."

Edge sat down at the spot Cuore had previously been taking and spoke in a whisper, as he eyed Rydia sharply. "Are you going to tell me what happened with her first? Her face looked pretty bruised. Is she being bullied?"

Rydia sat down next to him and started applying the lotion to his burns. Edge's face twisted but he held back making any noise that could alert Cuore. "Yes. By her teacher." Edge managed to make a curious look show through the pain. "Cuore's not welcome at her school anymore, and quite frankly, I hope Cuore never comes into contact with that horrible woman again." She explained the events at the schoolhouse. Edge's eyes were lit with anger. "Look, she's not coming near Cuore anymore; I made sure of that. Don't do anything stupid. But...I did need to talk to you about Cuore's future."

Edge took a second to compose himself before answering in monotone. "Her future?"

Rydia finished applying the lotion and set the towel on the table, staring at it and twirling it between her fingers. "Is it possible...for her to have a private tutor in Eblan?" She looked up at him with a pained expression.

"Rydia...of course she could. But I'm not taking that girl from you. She's your entire life; I couldn't do that to you."

"I don't have a choice Edge..." Rydia gripped the towel in her hands.

"Well...why don't you come too?" More than a hint of hope was present in his voice, even at the low whisper he was using. "Then you could be with Cuore, _and_ she could have a tutor."

"Edge..." She gave him a sad look. "Mist is my home; I can't desert it, okay? Not for any reason, not even if it means I don't get to see Cuore very often. I have to be here as the High Summoner."

"Rydia, you can come back whenever you want-"

"Discussion over, Edge. There's nothing for me in Eblan." Edge's eyes sunk from pain unrelated to his burns. "It's better for me to be here."

"...alright. If you're insistent-" He steadied himself before continuing. "-then can you at least come for a week? At the very least, you could help Cuore settle in before this gets sprung on her."

Rydia met his eyes briefly, then picked up the lotion and stood up. "I don't know, Edge..."

"Look, you don't have to decide now; just think about it, okay?"

"...alright, I'll think about it. Now remove your breastplate." Edge raised his eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes in response. "I'm checking for any burns I missed, you dork."

"Sureee." Despite his snark, he complied, and she studied him over. She began to feel her stomach twist in a familiar fashion, albeit stronger than usual. Rosa had long ago explained to her that she might feel it around certain guys, but it seemed to occur solely with Edge, and she didn't really understand why, nor did she care to try after the day's stress.

"Rydia?" She snapped out of her derailed train of thoughts and looked up at Edge, who was eyeing her with amusement. She flared up, another common yet unwelcome symptom of his presence, and walked over to put the lotion away so he couldn't see her face.

"You're good. Your armor must not be made of a conductive metal." She took her time using her cabinet to ensure the redness left her cheeks before he could see her. "Anyway, I have some appointments that I'm late for. Can you hang out with Cuore in the meantime?"

"Sure." She turned her head to see him still eyeing her amusedly. She decided to ignore him.

"Good. I'll see you guys in a few hours. The keys are on the table if you want to go anywhere." With that statement, she rushed out the door, already over an hour late for her daily briefing with Mist.

* * *

"You didn't need to run, child." Rydia heard a familiar voice call out to her as she approached the entrance to Mist Cave. She clutched her side as she walked in, realizing that the years without combat had taken its toll on her stamina. Mist Dragon 'stood' at guard, silently observing her with its warm eyes.

"I'm sorry Mist; I just was late from a talk with-"

"Edge? I know, dear. I _am_ the gatekeeper of the city." Rydia blinked at the sudden realization that Mist had to have known about his visit. "But it's okay; I do not have timed responsibilities like you. I can be free when you are, child."

"You knew he was visiting and you didn't tell me?" Rydia gave a frustrated look at Mist Dragon. She opened her mouth to continue, but decided against it, knowing she would just be taking out her stress on her friend.

"I...was worried you would avoid him if you knew." Rydia's expression morphed into one of guarded puzzlement. "I have had the chance to observe you two many times, whether here or in the Feymarch, or even glimpses in the middle of combat when you choose to summon me-" Mist Dragon paused for a moment as it swirled around Rydia, studying her. "-and you seem to push him away, child. I cannot understand why, but I will accept it if it is the situation you desire."

The two silently exchanged eye contact as Mist Dragon waited for Rydia to respond. When she diverted her eyes instead, Mist continued. "However, I could not risk Edge leaving Mist early this time. He waited for my permission to enter the village, and when I inquired about his presence, he said Cuore had asked him to come." Rydia's eyes shot up in concern. "No matter your feelings about him, child, as long as he is of good will, I will not keep Cuore from seeing him. You must understand this."

"Cuore...Cuore asked for him? He never mentioned anything about her asking him anything." Rydia gave Mist Dragon an incredulous side glance, simultaneously looking for a correction and knowing one wasn't coming.

"Perhaps I'm not the only person picking up on you pushing him away, dear." Rydia felt her stomach drop in a deep pit and tensed. She looked away from Mist again and thought for a few moments.

"What should I do?" Her voice barely came out as a whisper, and she suddenly felt overwhelmed.

"That I can't answer for you, child. Your choices are ultimately yours to make. But do not push him away as you have been. If you want him around, tell him. If you don't, tell him. But he deserves an answer, one that you are not currently giving him."

Rydia kept her eyes away from Mist, as she once again swirled to face her. "An answer to what?"

"I know you well, dear. Do not attempt to fake ignorance with me; you know what I reference. Perhaps I should suggest that you stop faking ignorance with yourself as well."

"I can't go anywhere, Mist. My decision is made for me; the village needs a High Summoner."

Mist Dragon's body flickered as its eyes narrowed. "Why do you continue to lie to me, child? You know that you have full reign to leave the city. You are attempting to deceive yourself into an easy way out. He _and you_ deserve better than that. Now go. I know you know your answer; I can see it in your eyes. So go tell him, and stop these games of yours."

"But-"

"_Now,_ child. I will discuss the issue with you later." Mist Dragon faded into the fog of the cave, leaving Rydia alone and deep in thought. Reluctantly, she began to walk the 20 minutes back towards the village.

As she walked home, her mind raced across Mist's comments. Mist had said she knew her answer, so why did she feel more troubled than ever about the situation? It was true that Eblan would be a nice change of pace, and obviously Cuore needed a more accepting and accomodating place to live than this small village, but...she couldn't leave, could she? This was her town, her life. To pick that all up and move somewhere new, and somewhere she had only visited twice before of all places...it just seemed unfathomable. It was obvious to her that she needed to stay here. So why was it so hard for her to say that to Edge? She needed to just force herself to when she saw him, right? It seemed easy, but...

She stopped in her tracks and sighed. It just wasn't easy. She had to tell him, but she couldn't. Mist was right that she couldn't give him a straight answer. But she needed to. She had no idea how she was going to do so, but she could hear his voice from over the next hill, and she clenched her fists in determination, walking to the top. She halted again as soon as she reached it, however, as she looked down the valley to see Edge and Cuore 'battling' with sticks. She hadn't seen Cuore smile and play like that in a long time. He noticed her and smiled, waving her down with a wink. "Well, I guess I don't need to bring up the issue right off the bat, for Cuore's sake..." she muttered to herself, and she walked down to join them.

* * *

As sundown hit, Rydia laid on the grass, sprawled-out from exhaustion. She looked up at Cuore standing over her, smirking. "Come on Mom, you can do better than that!"

"Cuore, let her have her rest now. We can play more tomorrow, okay? Here-" Edge reached into his armor and pulled out some coins. "-the candy shops should be open a little bit longer. Be back in 15 minutes and you can get whatever you can buy with this: deal?"

"No." Edge's eyes widened at her remark. "I won't see you for those 15 minutes. I'll miss out part of the time you're here; I don't want to."

Edge thought for a moment. "Well, what if I come by the house tomorrow at 8:45 am instead of 9 am, as part of the deal? Then you get the same amount of time with me! Does that work?"

Cuore bit her lip in thought, then nodded. "Okay; I'll be back in 15 minutes!" She grabbed the coins from his hand and took off into the village. Edge looked after her and chuckled, before sitting down next to Rydia. She sat up in response and looked at him.

"When did you get so good with kids?"

His eyes flashed as he replied. "I'm good at everything; why are you surprised?" She snorted in response.

"Glad to see you haven't lost your arrogant attitude." She glanced sideways at him. "Though I suspect the real reason is that your mind's at their level."

"Well, considering we're discussing Cuore, I'll take that as a compliment."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Fair enough." She suddenly realized how close they were to each other, shoulders lightly touching as they sat in the grass. It triggered her memory of her discussion with Mist, and she studied him, contemplating. She decided she had to give Edge her answer now, before she lost the nerve to do so later.

"Hey, Edge?" He turned to look at her.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"About Eblan..." She looked at him nervously and lost her wording for a moment. The expression he was returning in her direction wasn't bad-he seemed curious, more than anything-but it still kept her from finishing her statement. She turned it into a question instead. "Why do you want me to come to Eblan with Cuore?"

He blinked a few times, successfully reining in his initial response. "I think it would be good for Cuore, and for you, to be away from all the stress I always find you under when I visit. I feel like...you'd be happier being in Eblan, without having to deal with the drama here."

"Oh.." She glanced away from Edge, and he closed his eyes and gritted himself in response, opening his eyes fiercely as he continued.

"I want to...I'll do whatever I can to help make you happy."

The words cut through the air like a knife, leaving behind a dearth of noise outside the low bristle of the trees rustling in the summer wind. Rydia stared at the ground with wide eyes as she tried to register his words. Her heart was pounding. His words had triggered something inside of her, and she felt flooded with emotions, many of which she couldn't explain. She sensed him begin to shift, and she put her hand on his to halt him. She looked up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I, uh..." Edge suddenly looked more unsure of himself than she had ever seen him. His eyes darted down at her hand resting on his, before returning to match her gaze. Rydia's heart pounded stronger inside of her, and she searched his eyes, hoping they would shed insight on the situation. He lowered his mask in response, and she studied his face, chiseled from years of war and leadership of Eblan. He appeared to try to speak again, but stopped himself. As he brushed her hair from her face with his other hand, their memories together flashed through her mind. He leaned closer to her, and she found herself lost for thought and focus, waiting expectantly for a moment she couldn't describe, a moment she welcomed and yet did not understand.

"HEY MOM! DAD! I'M BACK!"

Rydia's eyes shot open as Edge shifted sharply, catching her with his right arm as she almost fell over sideways. Her mind quickly came back into focus, although her heart was still beating rapidly inside her chest. Edge stood up beside her and she looked up at him, noticing he'd already replaced his mask. He looked back at her and offered his arm, helping her up. When he turned towards Cuore, who was running towards them, Rydia shook her head quickly to clear her mind and walked up to intercept Cuore's hug.

Cuore returned the hug tight and shivered. "Can we go back to the house now? It's cold."

Rydia smiled at Cuore. "Sure, let's go home. Do you want to join us for dinner, Edge?" She turned back towards him, only to see open pasture. "...what?"

"Mom, he's probably busy. We have plans at 8:45, remember? We'll see him then!"

Rydia looked down at Cuore yanking her hand and forced a smile. "Of course; I don't know what I was thinking. Let's head home." As she allowed Cuore to lead her back to the house, she took one last look back, as if the pastures might give her the answers Edge didn't.


End file.
